Data Centers and Decarbonization

Chris Pennington is Director of Energy and Sustainability for Iron Mountain Data Centers, leading the charge toward 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2040. How did a college student looking for part-time work become a global energy strategy pioneer? His story perfectly illustrates the evolution of corporate sustainability thinking—from operational efficiency to industry-wide decarbonization.

"The story actually began when I answered a newspaper ad," Pennington reveals, describing his path from frontline operations to sustainability leadership. Today, he positions Iron Mountain as a digital utility that enables widespread decarbonization across entire industries. What makes this approach revolutionary? As Goldman Sachs projects 160% growth in global data center power demand by 2030, Pennington's co-location model aggregates customer loads to achieve unprecedented efficiency gains. He explains their pioneering Green Power Pass product and grid flexibility solutions, including battery systems that can disconnect entire data centers from the grid while maintaining critical operations. But can data centers really become part of the climate solution rather than just the problem?